Scripture
Hebrews 2:18
Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Observation-What does it say?
The author of Hebrews spends the first few chapters laying out a foundation of why we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. He begins with displaying Jesus is the completion of prophecy about the messiah. He compares the words of Christ with the words of the angels and prophets. If the words of the prophets were not to be disobeyed, how much more immutable are the words of God’s son Himself. The author warns us to pay close attention to what Jesus said.
Understanding-What does it mean?
I love to watch movies about wars and historical fictions, often called period pieces. One of my all time favorites is Braveheart. The story of William Wallace, the guardian of Scotland, and leader of an army that defeated the English at Sterling Bridge. There really isn't any better scene, in any movie ever made, than when Wallace enters the stage at Sterling Bridge. He is astride a horse, bearing a giant broad sword, and with enough confidence to fill a football stadium. He then rallies a rag-tag group of Scottish men, who would have otherwise conceded defeat and suffered loss of land and a myriad of taxes. As some of the men stood in their fear, Wallace asks them (in summary), when you are on your death bed, would you rather die knowing you had given up, or trade it all for one last chance to fight for your freedom.
The author of Hebrews paints a similar picture of Jesus, albeit with much higher stakes, our souls. You see Jesus, the savior of all mankind, has been in the same shoes as you. He was tempted and tried, he was beaten and bruised, spit on, lied about and tried falsely. He overcame all the obstacles set before him and arose victorious. He wants to lead you into the battle of your life, and he wants to equip you with all the spiritual tools to overcome our enemy. If the words of a great general and military leader can motivate men to dive headlong into a battle that will likely cost his life, how much more the words of a savior who first gave his life for us, before asking for us to give our lives to him.
In Ephesians 6, Paul encourages us to dawn the full armor of God. In 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, he tells us to discipline our bodies so that we will not be disqualified for the prize of eternal life. We all suffer the same problem, we are born into a life of sin. Fortunately, the cure for this disease is belief in the God who not only created the world, but experienced the same toil we do, and he experienced it more deeply than we ever will.
Life Application
Jesus, you are my king, and for you I am willing to surrender my life. For your glory is all I desire. I want to raise your banner in my life, and show my allegiance to you alone. Help me to daily give up everything, for I know, you will give me my freedom in return.
-Tyler Galloway
